Throughout his football career, Trey Hall said he’s admired the offensive mind of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and the way he uses his skill players.

“I grew up liking Lane Kiffin’s system and how he used his running backs and receivers. He knows how to get the playmakers the ball, so I was always a big fan,” Hall said.

Apparently, the feeling was mutual.

Hall, who played high school football at Warren Central and then spent the past two years developing into one of the country’s top junior college running backs at Mississippi Gulf Coast, has signed to play for Kiffin at Ole Miss.

“That’s exciting. And I’m in the ‘Sip still. I always wanted to stay home, and now I can be at home and play at a high level. It’s nothing but a blessing,” Hall said.

Hall was The Vicksburg Post Offensive Player of the Year for Warren County, as well as an MHSAA Class 6A All-State selection by the Mississippi Association of Coaches, with Warren Central in 2022. Then he signed with Mississippi Gulf Coast and took his game to another level.

In two seasons at Gulf Coast, he rushed for 1,981 yards and 20 touchdowns. In 2024 he ran for 1,098 yards and ranked third in the NJCAA with 109.8 yards per game.

Hall’s 13 rushing touchdowns were second-most in the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference, and his 7.4 yards per carry tied Gulf Coast’s single-season record. He was the MACCC’s South Division Player of the Year and a second-team NJCAA All-American.

“It feels real good. Coming from the bottom of the mud and stuff. I’m thankful for it because I worked hard for it and now I can see it finally paid off. All-American was a goal this year,” Hall said.

Hall was listed among the top 10 junior college prospects in the country by ESPN, but initially his four-year college offers came from FCS and smaller FBS program. He committed to Western Kentucky in December.

A late night phone call from Ole Miss running backs coach Kevin Smith changed those plans.

“It was late night, around 11. He said he was up watching my film and was glad he watched my film,” Hall said. “I was shocked. I saw an Oxford number and I’m like, ‘It can’t be Ole Miss.’ I was thankful for that call.”

Hall soon decommitted from Western Kentucky and jumped at the chance to play for the Southeastern Conference powerhouse Ole Miss. It was more than just a massive opportunity, he said.

“It was a dream come true. To go to your dream school is just unbelievable. It feels good to be here,” Hall said. “I always watched Lane Kiffin growing up and felt that was my dream school. I fit his system. A dream came true.”

Hall said he was thankful for his somewhat circuitous journey to Oxford. The two seasons at Gulf Coast, he said, helped him grow as both a person and a football player.

“I’m thankful for juco because it taught me a lot. You’re going to see if you really like football. I feel like everybody should go the juco route. You can still live your dreams, you’ve got to work even harder. It paid off for me,” he said. “They taught me how to be a better person, my character, I got open to talking. And as a player I learned some things I didn’t know coming out of high school.”

Hall did not, however, want to forget where the journey started. Before he heads to Oxford next week, he celebrated his achievement with a signing ceremony Saturday afternoon at Warren Central’s fieldhouse.

“I want to thank my family, because without them there wouldn’t be no me. And I want to thank God, and the coaching staff at Warren Central. They made me what I am today,” he said. “That’s why I had to come back and sign here today, because this is where it all started at.”